Mar 3 Throwback Thursday - Super Mario World Part 1

I cannot begin to explain the hype that was the Super Nintendo. In December 1990, before everyone had Internet in their house, Nintendo Power shipped volume 18 of their magazine with Dr. Mario on the cover (below.) What was teased towards the back was the "Super Famicon" (Yeap, that's what it said). This was the next generation in Nintendo hardware, but would not ultimately be available until late Summer 1991 even though Japan had already launched the console almost a year prior. It was smart of Nintendo to not prominently feature this new system until after the 1990 holiday season, to not deter North American consumers from purchasing the already popular Nintendo Entertainment System or Game Boy hardware and software. Slowly throughout early 1991, screenshots began to leak in the various publications about "Super Mario Bros 4: Super Mario World", a game that was taking Japan by storm.

Super Mario Bros. 3 had released in earlier in 1990, and instantly became one of the best selling Nintendo games of all time, and still is today after many re-releases, compilations, and digital downloads. Mario was a force to be reckoned with, and it seemed that nothing (not even a hedgehog) could stop him. More details were leaked about the upcoming plumber adventure, with a reveal that Mario and Luigi would have a new friend "Yoshi" a dinosaur they could ride to reach places previously unattainable. Yoshi ended up being so popular, he ended up receiving his own self-titled NES puzzle game, and three more games for Super Nintendo. Once Summer of 1990 hit, the hype was real. Everyone who had a Nintendo was talking about Super Mario World. Who would be playable in the game? Would there be suits to wear like in Mario 3? Would Bowser be returning? It was announced that Super Mario World would be included along with two controllers in the launch Super Nintendo set in August of 1991.

The Banzai Bill is one of the first enemies Mario meets in Super Mario World, to show off what the system was truly capable of.

The kiosk that changed my life. Kinda. Image Courtesy of lojack44 of NintendoAge.com

I clearly remember seeing the Super Nintendo kiosk at Walden Software that summer on a trip to the mall. I remember becoming instantly memorized at how fluid the animation looked and how many colors were on the screen, many more than the games I played on my neighbor's Sega Genesis. After playing 5-10 minutes of Super Mario World, and my parents telling us it was time to leave, I remember saying something like "I will never wash these hands again." (Spoiler alert, I did.) Instantly, I had to have the Super Nintendo system, but at 9 years old that was financially impossible. Santa left the system underneath our Christmas tree later that year, addressed to both my brother Sean and I. We immediately did not care about anything else. Super Mario World was here and it was time to jump into the one of the greatest games of all time.